a. [ L. absolutus, p. p. of absolvere: cf. F. absolu. See Absolve. ] 1. Loosed from any limitation or condition; uncontrolled; unrestricted; unconditional; as, absolute authority, monarchy, sovereignty, an absolute promise or command; absolute power; an absolute monarch. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Complete in itself; perfect; consummate; faultless; as, absolute perfection; absolute beauty. [ 1913 Webster ]

So absolute she seems,
And in herself complete. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Viewed apart from modifying influences or without comparison with other objects; actual; real; -- opposed to relative and comparative; as, absolute motion; absolute time or space. [ 1913 Webster ]

Absolute rights and duties are such as pertain to man in a state of nature as contradistinguished from relative rights and duties, or such as pertain to him in his social relations. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Loosed from, or unconnected by, dependence on any other being; self-existent; self-sufficing. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In this sense God is called the Absolute by the Theist. The term is also applied by the Pantheist to the universe, or the total of all existence, as only capable of relations in its parts to each other and to the whole, and as dependent for its existence and its phenomena on its mutually depending forces and their laws. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Capable of being thought or conceived by itself alone; unconditioned; non-relative. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ It is in dispute among philosopher whether the term, in this sense, is not applied to a mere logical fiction or abstraction, or whether the absolute, as thus defined, can be known, as a reality, by the human intellect. [ 1913 Webster ]

To Cusa we can indeed articulately trace, word and thing, the recent philosophy of the absolute. Sir W. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Positive; clear; certain; not doubtful. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

I am absolute 't was very Cloten. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. Authoritative; peremptory. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The peddler stopped, and tapped her on the head,
With absolute forefinger, brown and ringed. Mrs. Browning. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Chem.) Pure; unmixed; as, absolute alcohol. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. (Gram.) Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence in government; as, the case absolute. See Ablative absolute, under Ablative. [ 1913 Webster ]

Absolute curvature (Geom.), that curvature of a curve of double curvature, which is measured in the osculating plane of the curve. --
Absolute equation (Astron.), the sum of the optic and eccentric equations. --
Absolute space (Physics), space considered without relation to material limits or objects. --
Absolute terms. (Alg.), such as are known, or which do not contain the unknown quantity. Davies & Peck. --
Absolute temperature (Physics), the temperature as measured on a scale determined by certain general thermo-dynamic principles, and reckoned from the absolute zero. --
Absolute zero (Physics), the be ginning, or zero point, in the scale of absolute temperature. It is equivalent to -273° centigrade or -459.4° Fahrenheit. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Positive; peremptory; certain; unconditional; unlimited; unrestricted; unqualified; arbitrary; despotic; autocratic. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Geom.) In a plane, the two imaginary circular points at infinity; in space of three dimensions, the imaginary circle at infinity. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an absolute, independent, or unconditional manner; wholly; positively. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being absolute; independence of everything extraneous; unlimitedness; absolute power; independent reality; positiveness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. absolution, L. absolutio, fr. absolvere to absolve. See Absolve. ] 1. An absolving, or setting free from guilt, sin, or penalty; forgiveness of an offense. “Government . . . granting absolution to the nation.” Froude. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Civil Law) An acquittal, or sentence of a judge declaring and accused person innocent. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (R. C. Ch.) The exercise of priestly jurisdiction in the sacrament of penance, by which Catholics believe the sins of the truly penitent are forgiven. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In the English and other Protestant churches, this act regarded as simply declaratory, not as imparting forgiveness. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Eccl.) An absolving from ecclesiastical penalties, -- for example, excommunication. P. Cyc. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. The form of words by which a penitent is absolved. Shipley. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Delivery, in speech. [ Obs. ] B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

Absolution day (R. C. Ch.), Tuesday before Easter. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The state of being absolute; the system or doctrine of the absolute; the principles or practice of absolute or arbitrary government; despotism. [ 1913 Webster ]

The element of absolutism and prelacy was controlling. Palfrey. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Theol.) Doctrine of absolute decrees. Ash. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who is in favor of an absolute or autocratic government. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Metaph.) One who believes that it is possible to realize a cognition or concept of the absolute. Sir. W. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to absolutism; arbitrary; despotic; as, absolutist principles. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to absolutism; absolutist. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. absolutorius, fr. absolvere to absolve. ] Serving to absolve; absolving. “An absolutory sentence.” Ayliffe. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. That may be absolved. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Conferring absolution; absolutory. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Absolved p. pr. & vb. n. Absolving. ] [ L. absolvere to set free, to absolve; ab + solvere to loose. See Assoil, Solve. ] 1. To set free, or release, as from some obligation, debt, or responsibility, or from the consequences of guilt or such ties as it would be sin or guilt to violate; to pronounce free; as, to absolve a subject from his allegiance; to absolve an offender, which amounts to an acquittal and remission of his punishment. [ 1913 Webster ]

Halifax was absolved by a majority of fourteen. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To free from a penalty; to pardon; to remit (a sin); -- said of the sin or guilt. [ 1913 Webster ]

In his name I absolve your perjury. Gibbon. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To finish; to accomplish. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The work begun, how soon absolved. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To resolve or explain. [ Obs. ] “We shall not absolve the doubt.” Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To Absolve, Exonerate, Acquit. We speak of a man as absolved from something that binds his conscience, or involves the charge of wrongdoing; as, to absolve from allegiance or from the obligation of an oath, or a promise. We speak of a person as exonerated, when he is released from some burden which had rested upon him; as, to exonerate from suspicion, to exonerate from blame or odium. It implies a purely moral acquittal. We speak of a person as acquitted, when a decision has been made in his favor with reference to a specific charge, either by a jury or by disinterested persons; as, he was acquitted of all participation in the crime. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. absolvens, p. pr. of absolvere. ] Absolving. [ R. ] Carlyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An absolver. [ R. ] Hobbes. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who absolves. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. ab + sonans, p. pr. of sonare to sound. ] Discordant; contrary; -- opposed to consonant. “Absonant to nature.” Quarles. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. absonus; ab + sonus sound. ] Discordant; inharmonious; incongruous. [ Obs. ] “Absonous to our reason.” Glanvill. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Absorbed p. pr. & vb. n. Absorbing. ] [ L. absorbere; ab + sorbere to suck in, akin to Gr. &unr_;: cf. F. absorber. ] 1. To swallow up; to engulf; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to use up; to include. “Dark oblivion soon absorbs them all.” Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

The large cities absorb the wealth and fashion. W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To suck up; to drink in; to imbibe; as a sponge or as the lacteals of the body. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To engross or engage wholly; to occupy fully; as, absorbed in study or the pursuit of wealth. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To take up by cohesive, chemical, or any molecular action, as when charcoal absorbs gases. So heat, light, and electricity are absorbed or taken up in the substances into which they pass. Nichol. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To Absorb, Engross, Swallow up, Engulf. These words agree in one general idea, that of completely taking up. They are chiefly used in a figurative sense and may be distinguished by a reference to their etymology. We speak of a person as absorbed (lit., drawn in, swallowed up) in study or some other employment of the highest interest. We speak of a person as ebgrossed (lit., seized upon in the gross, or wholly) by something which occupies his whole time and thoughts, as the acquisition of wealth, or the attainment of honor. We speak of a person (under a stronger image) as swallowed up and lost in that which completely occupies his thoughts and feelings, as in grief at the death of a friend, or in the multiplied cares of life. We speak of a person as engulfed in that which (like a gulf) takes in all his hopes and interests; as, engulfed in misery, ruin, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

That grave question which had begun to absorb the Christian mind -- the marriage of the clergy. Milman. [ 1913 Webster ]

Too long hath love engrossed Britannia's stage,
And sunk to softness all our tragic rage. Tickell. [ 1913 Webster ]

Should not the sad occasion swallow up
My other cares? Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

And in destruction's river
Engulf and swallow those. Sir P. Sidney. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state or quality of being absorbable. Graham (Chemistry). [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. absorbable. ] Capable of being absorbed or swallowed up. Kerr. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. 1 wholly absorbed as in thought that engrossed look -- that absorbed and rapt delight
Syn. -- engrossed, intent, rapt, wrapped [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. not allowed to pass through; -- said of radiant waves such as light the absorbed light intensity [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. taken in through the pores of a surface the absorbed water expanded the sponge [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adv. In a manner as if wholly engrossed or engaged. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. 1 inducing or promoting absorption
Syn. -- sorbefacient [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. Absorptiveness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. Anything which absorbs. AS [ 1913 Webster ]

The ocean, itself a bad absorbent of heat. Darwin. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Med.) Any substance which absorbs and neutralizes acid fluid in the stomach and bowels, as magnesia, chalk, etc.; also a substance e. g., iodine which acts on the absorbent vessels so as to reduce enlarged and indurated parts. AS [ 1913 Webster ]

3. pl. (Physiol.) The vessels by which the processes of absorption are carried on, as the lymphatics in animals, the extremities of the roots in plants. AS [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. absorbens, p. pr. of absorbere. ] Absorbing; swallowing; absorptive. [ 1913 Webster ]

Absorbent ground (Paint.), a ground prepared for a picture, chiefly with distemper, or water colors, by which the oil is absorbed, and a brilliancy is imparted to the colors. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, absorbs. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Swallowing, engrossing; as, an absorbing pursuit. -- Ab*sorb"ing, adv. [1913 Webster]

n. Absorption. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. absorptus, p. p. ] Absorbed. [ Arcahic. ] “Absorpt in care.” Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. absorptio, fr. absorbere. See Absorb. ] 1. The act or process of absorbing or sucking in anything, or of being absorbed and made to disappear; as, the absorption of bodies in a whirlpool, the absorption of a smaller tribe into a larger. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Chem. & Physics) An imbibing or reception by molecular or chemical action; as, the absorption of light, heat, electricity, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Physiol.) In living organisms, the process by which the materials of growth and nutrition are absorbed and conveyed to the tissues and organs. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Entire engrossment or occupation of the mind; as, absorption in some employment. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having power, capacity, or tendency to absorb or imbibe. E. Darwin. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being absorptive; absorptive power. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Absorptiveness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL., from p. p. accensus. See Accend. ] (R. C. Ch.) One of the functionaries who light and trim the tapers. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to an accessory; as, accessorial agency, accessorial guilt. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In the manner of an accessory; auxiliary. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of being accessory, or connected subordinately. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. accessorius. See Access, and cf. Accessary. ] Accompanying as a subordinate; aiding in a secondary way; additional; connected as an incident or subordinate to a principal; contributing or contributory; said of persons and things, and, when of persons, usually in a bad sense; as, he was accessory to the riot; accessory sounds in music. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Ash accents the antepenult; and this is not only more regular, but preferable, on account of easiness of pronunciation. Most orhoëpists place the accent on the first syllable. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Accompanying; contributory; auxiliary; subsidiary; subservient; additional; acceding. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Accessories 1. That which belongs to something else deemed the principal; something additional and subordinate. “The aspect and accessories of a den of banditti.” Carlyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) Same as Accessary, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Fine Arts) Anything that enters into a work of art without being indispensably necessary, as mere ornamental parts. Elmes. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Abettor; accomplice; ally; coadjutor. See Abettor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; ray + &unr_; body. ] (Zool.) The entire body of a cœlenterate. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ From Adanson, a French botanist. ] (Bot.) A genus of great trees related to the Bombax. There are two species, Adansonia digitata, the baobab or monkey-bread of Africa and India, and Adansonia Gregorii, the sour gourd or cream-of-tartar tree of Australia. Both have a trunk of moderate height, but of enormous diameter, and a wide-spreading head. The fruit is oblong, and filled with pleasantly acid pulp. The wood is very soft, and the bark is used by the natives for making ropes and cloth. D. C. Eaton. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Named from Thomas Addison, M. D., of London, who first described it. ] (Med.) A morbid condition causing a peculiar brownish discoloration of the skin, hypotension, and loss of weight; it is due to insufficient secretion of adrenocortical hormones. Untreated disease is usually fatal. Called also chronic adrenocortical insufficiency [ 1913 Webster + AS ]

n. 1. a printer that automatically prints addresses on letters for mailing.
Syn. -- addressing machine [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ Gr. 'a`dipsos; 'a priv. + di`psa, thirst. ] Quenching thirst, as certain fruits. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to admission. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. to attract and bind (molecules of a substance in a fluid) so as to form a thin layer on the surface, by non-electrostatic forces; to bind by adsorption. Distinguished from absorb, in which the foreign substance penetrates the body of the absorbing material.
Syn. -- surface assimilation [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. 1 the process by which molecules of a substance form a thin film on the surface of a solid. Distinguished from absorption, in which the foreign substance penetrates the body of the absorbing material.
Syn. -- surface assimilation [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. 1. having capacity or tendency to adsorb or cause to accumulate on a surface; displaying adsorption. [ Narrower terms: chemisorptive, chemosorptive ] nonadsorbent
Syn. -- adsorbent, surface-assimilative [ WordNet 1.5 ]